Cognitive:Students will realize that they can craft a satisfying life by focusing on three basic life goals.
Affective:Students will understand in their hearts that the wrong purpose brings unhappiness.
Behavioral:Students will shape their choices in life with the three basic life goals in mind.
Classroom Session 1:
Have students turn to the page in their student books where the example of a guitar is given. Looking at the picture, ask to what other uses could this instrument be put? Let students get comical if they like. Emphasize the point that the guitar is carefully designed to convey sound beautifully and well—that is its purpose. It can't do anything else nearly as well, and it is best used for the purpose for which it was designed.
Have students refer back to the story "The Wrong Purpose" and pick out examples in the story of things that were used for the wrong purpose. Which ones did they think were the most funny or striking? Point out that when things are used for the wrong purpose, it does not lead to happiness. In fact, sometimes it is dangerous.
Explain that the purpose of life is a question that has bothered philosophers for many centuries and that we are not pretending to have all the answers here, nor are we trying to tell them what they should do with their lives. We are suggesting a framework that many people have found helpful.
Have them reflect on questions relating to the purpose of life by filling out the Questions for Discussion in their student books:
Questions for Discussion
1. Have you ever thought about the purpose of life? 2. Does everything have a purpose? 3. Who determines the purpose of something? 4. In what way are you creating yourself and the world around you? 5. Do we all have the same purpose or different purposes? 6. In which way are our purposes the same and in which way are they different? 7. In which ways does a person create the kind of person he is and will become? 8. How much are we responsible for developing ourselves and how much does the environment influence us? 9. Can you think of somebody who grew up in difficult circumstances yet still achieved great things? What did he or she do to develop a positive personality? 10. Is there a connection between maturity and the ability to love?
Once they have finished, have student volunteers share their answers for discussion, questions and comment among the students.
Classroom Session 2:
Explain that each person might feel he or she has a special purpose. The three basic life goals outlined in this chapter are a framework for a satisfying life based on research and human experience.
From the chapter, have the students pick out the three basic life goals. They should be able to share that the goals are:
1) to grow up and become a person of mature character
2) to marry and have a loving family
3) to make a worthwhile and lasting contribution to society.
The goals are written out in bold in their student texts.
Mention that people seem to have a will to mature. Use their own desires when they were younger, as an example to illustrate this point. Ask them if, when they were little, they ever just said, "I'm five years old"? No, they probably said, "I'm five and a half!" or "I'm five and three-quarters!" This is because human beings want to grow up and be mature. This is evident in most children. While they enjoy being children, they are thrilled at the idea of people thinking they are older than they really are, and they are thrilled to be complimented on being or looking "grown up." To want to be mature seems to be a natural desire and purpose for a human being.
Refer students to the box where there is an excerpt from the play Our Town by Thornton Wilder. Have students read the quote and look at the picture. Explain (this is also explained in the text) that scientists who have studied human beings in history have found that every single society in the world, no matter where or when it existed, has had marriage. This shows that marriage (and having children) is also a natural desire and purpose for a human being. Between 90% and 99% of people marry, all over the world. Most of those marriages produce children, and families are formed.
Ask students if they have ever dreamed of being famous. Ask the students how they feel when the Academy Awards or the Olympic Games are on TV. Do they find themselves dreaming of winning an award or a gold medal? Draw out that, while most people will not win these kinds of awards, it shows that there is a desire inside people to accomplish something great. People want to feel that they have done something that other people will applaud and appreciate and remember. They want to make a lasting contribution.
Guide the students to reflect on this question: Do they find these kinds of hopes in their own hearts—to be mature, to have loving relationships in a family, and to make a lasting contribution to society? Ask them to do the Reflection Exercise: "Fulfilling Your Purpose in Life" in their student books. (The teacher may want to fill this out him- or herself.)
Reflection Exercise: “Fulfilling Your Purpose in Life”
Reflect on the ways in which you are seeking to fulfill the three purposes of life as described in this lesson. How have you been doing so far? How do you foresee yourself fulfilling these purposes in the future? Are you strong in some of these and weak in others? Where do you feel you need to make more effort?
Objectives
Cognitive: Students will realize that they can craft a satisfying life by focusing on three basic life goals.
Affective: Students will understand in their hearts that the wrong purpose brings unhappiness.
Behavioral: Students will shape their choices in life with the three basic life goals in mind.
Classroom Session 1:
Have students turn to the page in their student books where the example of a guitar is given. Looking at the picture, ask to what other uses could this instrument be put? Let students get comical if they like. Emphasize the point that the guitar is carefully designed to convey sound beautifully and well—that is its purpose. It can't do anything else nearly as well, and it is best used for the purpose for which it was designed.
Have students refer back to the story "The Wrong Purpose" and pick out examples in the story of things that were used for the wrong purpose. Which ones did they think were the most funny or striking? Point out that when things are used for the wrong purpose, it does not lead to happiness. In fact, sometimes it is dangerous.
Explain that the purpose of life is a question that has bothered philosophers for many centuries and that we are not pretending to have all the answers here, nor are we trying to tell them what they should do with their lives. We are suggesting a framework that many people have found helpful.
Have them reflect on questions relating to the purpose of life by filling out the Questions for Discussion in their student books:
Questions for Discussion
1. Have you ever thought about the purpose of life?
2. Does everything have a purpose?
3. Who determines the purpose of something?
4. In what way are you creating yourself and the world around you?
5. Do we all have the same purpose or different purposes?
6. In which way are our purposes the same and in which way are they different?
7. In which ways does a person create the kind of person he is and will become?
8. How much are we responsible for developing ourselves and how much does the environment influence us?
9. Can you think of somebody who grew up in difficult circumstances yet still achieved great things? What did he or she do to develop a positive personality?
10. Is there a connection between maturity and the ability to love?
Once they have finished, have student volunteers share their answers for discussion, questions and comment among the students.
Classroom Session 2:
Explain that each person might feel he or she has a special purpose. The three basic life goals outlined in this chapter are a framework for a satisfying life based on research and human experience.
From the chapter, have the students pick out the three basic life goals. They should be able to share that the goals are:
1) to grow up and become a person of mature character
2) to marry and have a loving family
3) to make a worthwhile and lasting contribution to society.
The goals are written out in bold in their student texts.
Mention that people seem to have a will to mature. Use their own desires when they were younger, as an example to illustrate this point. Ask them if, when they were little, they ever just said, "I'm five years old"? No, they probably said, "I'm five and a half!" or "I'm five and three-quarters!" This is because human beings want to grow up and be mature. This is evident in most children. While they enjoy being children, they are thrilled at the idea of people thinking they are older than they really are, and they are thrilled to be complimented on being or looking "grown up." To want to be mature seems to be a natural desire and purpose for a human being.
Refer students to the box where there is an excerpt from the play Our Town by Thornton Wilder. Have students read the quote and look at the picture. Explain (this is also explained in the text) that scientists who have studied human beings in history have found that every single society in the world, no matter where or when it existed, has had marriage. This shows that marriage (and having children) is also a natural desire and purpose for a human being. Between 90% and 99% of people marry, all over the world. Most of those marriages produce children, and families are formed.
Ask students if they have ever dreamed of being famous. Ask the students how they feel when the Academy Awards or the Olympic Games are on TV. Do they find themselves dreaming of winning an award or a gold medal? Draw out that, while most people will not win these kinds of awards, it shows that there is a desire inside people to accomplish something great. People want to feel that they have done something that other people will applaud and appreciate and remember. They want to make a lasting contribution.
Guide the students to reflect on this question: Do they find these kinds of hopes in their own hearts—to be mature, to have loving relationships in a family, and to make a lasting contribution to society? Ask them to do the Reflection Exercise: "Fulfilling Your Purpose in Life" in their student books. (The teacher may want to fill this out him- or herself.)
Reflection Exercise: “Fulfilling Your Purpose in Life”
Reflect on the ways in which you are seeking to fulfill the three purposes of life as described in this lesson. How have you been doing so far? How do you foresee yourself fulfilling these purposes in the future? Are you strong in some of these and weak in others? Where do you feel you need to make more effort?